Method of making shoes



.Sept. 22, 1936. MacB URNlE 2,054,942

METHOD OF MAKING SHOES Filed Oct. 20, 1934 Patented Sept. 22, 1936UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING SHOES Application October20,

20 Claims.

This invention relates to shoes and to methods of making shoes and isillustrated herein \m'th reference to the manufacture of shoes havinguppers secured in overlasted position by cement.

A method of making shoes having their uppers secured in overlastedrelation to insole members by cement is disclosed in United StatesLetters I Patent No. 1,932,545, granted October 31, 1933, on anapplication filed in the name of George Goddu. In one of its aspects themethod referred to consistsin utilizing in the manufacture of a shoe aninsole provided adjacent to its marginal portion with an upstanding lipor rib which extends around the periphery of the insole and terminatessubstantially at the heel breast line. The'upper is temporarily securedto the rib by staples to hold the upper in lasted relation to the insolewhile the cement between the margins of the upper and insole is setting.The upstand- 20, ing portions of the upper and rib are then trimmed ofisubstantially flush with that surface of the upper which overlies themargin of the insole, thereby removing the excess upper materials,staples and upstanding portions of the rib =3 from the shoe bottom andproviding a relatively even surface for the attachmentof an outsole.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method ofmaking shoes having uppers secured in overlasted position by cement 3which, without sacrificing any of the advantages of the method referredto above, is particularly adapted for producing shoes having greaterflexibility at their foreparts than shoes which have been manufacturedheretofore.

To the attainment of this objectand in accordance with one aspect of theinvention, strips are provided on the bottom surface of a bare last,these strips forming ribs to which a shoe upper 'may be secured to holdit in lasted position while the cement for securing the upperpermanently in such position sets. As illustrated, the strips or ribsare located adjacent to the marginal portions of the bare last bottomand extend from about the tip line to the ball line. The ribs may becomposed of relatively thick cord, as shown herein, or they may consistof leather, fabric, rubber or similar materials. They are preferablycemented to the bottom surface of the last although they may if desiredbe secured to the last bottom by other means such as tacks. The: marginsof the upper at the forepart of the shoe are treated with a stiffeningmaterial such, for example, as cement which is introduced between thelayers or plies of the upper materials so that 55v when the cement setsthe margins of the upper 1934, Serial No. 749,214

at this portion of the shoe will stiffen suiliciently to. cause theupper to remain permanently in lasted position. The upper is then workedover the margins of the bare last bottom and is secured in lastedposition by staples which pass through the upper and ribs and areclinched against the inner sides of the ribs. After the cement has setthe ribs and the excess portions of the upper materials secured theretoare separated from the main portion of the upper by cutting through theupper below the staples, thereby permitting removal of the excess uppermaterials, staples, and ribs from the forepart of the shoe bottom.

In another aspect the invention comprises pro- 15 viding an. insolemember in the form of a shank and heel piece at the rear portion of ashoe, this member, as herein illustrated, being provided along itslongitudinal median line with a single strip similar to the strips whichare secured to the forepart of the last bottom, this single strip beingcemented to the insole member and forming a longitudinal rib to which ashoe upper may be secured to hold it in lasted relation to the insolemember. The upper at the shank portion of the shoe is treated with anadhesive such as cement in the usual manner and the feather portions ofthe shank and heel piece forwardly of the heel breast line are roughenedand coated with cement. The opposite sides of the upper are 301 thenworked separately over the margins of the insole member and secured tothe single strip or rib to hold such portions in lasted position whilethe cement which secures them permanently in lasted relation to theinsole member is setting. After the cement has thoroughly set a trimmingoperation is performed which separates the excess upper material fromthe overlasted portions thereof thereby permitting removal of the excessupper material, staples, and rib from the shank portion of the shoe. Theshoe may then be completed in the usual manner by attaching an outsoleby cement without delasting the shoe or by stitches if the last isremoved from the shoe. By omitting the insole at the forepart of theshoe in the manner described this portion of the shoe is rendered muchmore flexible than it is in shoes having full length insoles. Moreover,since the shoe in other respects is a cementlasted shoe made inaccordance with the method referred to above it will be light, durableand comfortable on the foot as well as'being more flexible at itsforepart. 1 With the above and other objects and features in View theinvention will now be described in connection with the accompanyingdrawing and thereafter pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe in the process of being made bythe present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on theline IIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the shoe showing the upper secured inlasted position;

Fig. i is a transverse sectional view similar to Fig. 2 taken on theline IV-IV of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line V-V of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the shoe after the trimming operationhas been performed;

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of a per tion of the forepart ofthe shoe with an outsole attached by cement;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken through the shank portion of the shoeafter the outsole is attached; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the forepart of the shoeshowing one of the ribs being peeled off the last bottom with thestaples and portions of the upper secured thereto.

In practising the method of the present invention the forepart of a barelast it is provided onits bottom surface with a pair of strips 52 whichextend from about the ball line to the tip a line and provide ribs towhich a shoe upper may be secured to hold it in lasted position on thelast. As illustrated herein the strips or ribs [2 comprise pieces ofcord which are secured to the bare surface of the last bottom adjacentto its marginal portions by a suitable adhesive, for example, pyroxylincement, the cement being indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 by the referencenumeral M. The ribs I? may, if desired, be composed of materials otherthan cord such, for example, as leather, rubber, fabric or any materialto which a shoe upper may be conveniently secured to hold it temporarilyin lasted position while the cement by which the'upper is to bepermanently secured in such position sets. A single rib l5, similar tothe ribs I2, is now secured by cement Hi to the shank portion of aninsole member 28 which comprises a shank and heel piece preferably ofleather and having its opposite margins reduced in thickness forwardlyof its heel breast line to form feather portions 2!. The forward edge ofthe shank and heel piece 2! is also reduced or beveled at 23 to preventthe formation of a shoulder or ridge at the ball portion of the finishedshoe. The cord forming the rib i6 is located on the longitudinal medialline of the shank and heel piece and extends rearwardly substantially tothe heel breast line, as shown in Fig. 1.

The shank and heel piece 20 is secured in proper position on the bottomof the last H! by tacks 22', and a multi-ply shoe upper 24, comprisingan outer layer 26 of leather (Fig. 2), a fabric intermediate layer ordoubler 28, and a lining 35, is assembled on the last, pulled over, andsecured in proper position at the toe and heel ends of the last bypulling over tacks 32, 34, Figs. 1 and 2 show the shoe as it appearsafter the insole member 26 and the upper have been assembled on the lastand the upper has been pulled over and secured to the last in the mannerdescribed.

The marginal portions of the upper 24 forwardly of the heel breast lineare now treated with an adhesive such, for example, ascement in order toprepare the upper for the lasting the Goddu Patent No.

operation. Around the toe end of the upper and rearwardly to the ballline, the cement is applied only between the layers or plies of theupper, that is to say, it is introduced between the leather outer layerand the doubler, and between the doubler arid the lining, but no cementis applied to the inner side of the lining. Preferably, pyroxylin cementis used at this portion of the shoe in order to stiffen the marginalportions of the upper and cause them to remain permanently in lastedposition after the cement has set. The stiffening of the margins of theupper in this manner also causes the side portions of the upper to holdtheir shape and not pull away from the outsole when the latter isattached as is sometimes the case in shoes in which insoles or portionsof the insoles are omitted. From the ball line of the upper to the heelbreast line, cement is introduced between the plies of the upper and isalso applied to the inner surface of the lining. The feather portions 2!at the shank portion of the shank and heel piece as, having beenpreviously roughened to provide surfaces suitable for receiving cementand then coated with cement, the shoe is now prepared for the lastingoperation.

Inthe operation of lasting, the opposite sides of the upper at theforepart of the shoe are Worked over the edges of the bare last bottomand are secured in upstanding position against the ribs l2 by staplesthis operation being preferably performed in the manner disclosed in1,932,545 referred to above. As explained in that patent the upper isdrawn upwardly over the edge of the last and isforced under tension intothe angle between the last bottom and the base of the rib while a stapleis driven through the upper materials and the rib, the staple beingclinched against the inner side of the rib. At the shank portion of theshoe the margins of the upper at each side of the last may be workedseparately over the feather portions 2! of the shank and heel piece 2%and secured in lasted relation to the shank and heel piece by staples 38which fasten the margins to the single longitudinal rib it in the mannerdisclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,975,474, grantedOctober 2, 1934, on an application of George H. Nichols, the staples 33'passing through the upper and the rib and being clinched against theopposite side of the rib.

At the toe end of the shoe the upper is preferably wiped over the marginof the bare last bottom by end-embracing wipers held in lasted positionby the wipers while the cement between the plies is setting although itmay be held in lasted position by a toe plate or binder similar to thatdisclosed in Letters Pa ent of the United States No. 1,894,678, grantedJanuary 17, 1933, on an application filed in the name of Joseph Fausse.The heel portion of the upper may be lasted in any usual such as bylasting tacks. 46 which are clinched against a metal clinching plate atthe heel portion of the last. The cement between the plies of the upperat the forepart of the last and between the upper and the shank and heelpiece 20 at the shank portion is now allowed to set so that the marginsof the upper at the fcrepart of theshoe will become stiiT enough to holdthe upper in lasted position after a trimming operation has beenperformed, and so that the shank portion of the upper will becomesecurely bonded to the feather portions 2! of the shank and heel of thelast bottom. Accordingly, no hollow or piece 20. After the shoe hasremained in this condition for a time sufficient to permit the cement toset thoroughly, the toe plate or other securing means at the toe end ofthe last, if any is used, is removed and the tacks 22 are pulled 0ut.-Fig. 3 shows the shoe as it will ap-.

pear after the upper has been lasted over the bare last bottom at thetoe and forepart and over the feather portions of the shank and heelpiece in the manner just described.

The next operation in the method'illustrated herein comprises separatingthe excess upstanding marginal material of the upper from the overlastedportion thereof to permit removal of such excess material from the shoebottom together with the staples and the ribs or substantial portionsthereof. A convenient way of accomplishing this result is to draw asharp knife along the upper at the creases formed therein at the basesof the ribs 12 and Hi to separate the upstanding material from theoverlasted margins of the upper. After the excess material has beensevered from the upper, the ribs or cords may be gripped with a suitabletool such as a pair of pincers or a similar instrument and peeled off,as shown in Fig. 9, thereby removing the ribs, staples and excess uppermaterialfrom the last bottom and from the insole member 20. Since theupper is cut on a bevel relatively to the bottom surface of the shoe itwill taper inwardly relatively to the transversely convex surfaces ofthe last bottom and the shank and heel piece 20, and will thus leave arelatively smooth surface on the bottom of the shoe for the attachment.of an outsole.

Instead of separating the excess upper material from the overlastedportion thereof and peeling off this material with the staples and ribsin the manner described, the ribs and excess marginal material of theupper may be trimmed off. substantially. flush with the outer.

surface of the overlasted portions of the upper, the trimming operationbeing performed, for example, with the aid of a turn shoe trimmingmachine'of the type disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No.429,065, granted May 27, 1890,, on an .application filed in the name ofSchaadt et al., although this operation may, if desired, be performed byother machines or by hand. However the trimming operation is performed,the trimming out preferably passes through the upper materials at anacute angle to the convex surface of the last bottom and is locatedclose to the exposed surface of the overlasted portion of, the upper. Itmay pass under the staples 36, 38 which secure the upper to the ribs 12and I6 so that the staples and substantial portions of the ribs will beremoved with the excess upper material. The excess upper materials atthe toe and heel seat portions of the shoe are also trimmed offsubstantially flush with the overlasted portion of the upper, as shownin, Fig. 6, thereby providing, a relatively even surface over the entireshoe bottom for the attachment of the outsole. As illustrated in Fig. 8,any portion of the single rib l6 remaining on the shank and heel member25 at the shank portion of theshoe will fill up the space or depressionwhich may be left between the opposite edges of the upper materials atthis portion of the shoe. At the forepart of the shoe the uppermaterials, having been trimmed at an. acute angle to the bottom surfaceof thelast, taper.

inwardly of the edges of this surface and thus blend into thetransverse'curve at the forepart depression will be left either at theforepart of the shoe bottom or at its shank portion after the trimmingoperation has been performed and no filler material will be required tolevel up the bottom of the shoe for receiving an outsole. In case a lasthaving a substantially flat forepart is used the margin of the outsoleat the forepart may be reduced so that its central portion will fill thespace bounded by the edges of the overlasted upper.

An outsole 42 is now roughened in the usual manner at its marginalportions and these portions are coated with a suitable adhesive such aspyroxylin cement. The outer surfaceof the overlasted margins of theupper from breast line to breast line are also roughened and coated withcement, care being taken, however, not. to get cement on the portions ofthe ribs l2 which may remain cemented to the forepart of the last bottomin cases where the ribs have been trimmed rather than peeled off. Thecement is activated by a suitable solvent in the.

usual manner and the outsole is laid in proper position on the shoebottom. The shoe and sole are then pressed together and held underpressure while the cement is setting to cause the sole to becomepermanently attached to the shoe bottom. Fig. 7 illustrates how theforepart of the shoe will look after the outsole has been attached bycement in the manner described, and Fig. 8 shows the construction of theshank portion of the shoe after the attachment of the outsole. Theoutsole may, if desired, be attached to the shoe by through-and-throughstitches in addition to or instead of cement, the outsole being firstlaid on the shoe bottom with adhesive in the usual manner and the lastbeing then removed from the shoe so'that the stitches may be inserted,the latter passing through the shank and heel piece, upper and outsoleat the heel and shank portions of the shoe, 'and through the margins ofthe upper and outsole at the forepart of the shoe. It may be preferablein most cases, however, to attach the outsole by means of cement alonesince this may be done without delasting the shoe and hence any dangerof distortion of the shoe by removal of the last is avoided. Sinceportions of the ribs l2 may remain cemented to the forepart of the lastbottom after the trimming operation has been performed, these portionswill come out of the shoe with the last when the latter is removed fromthe shoe so that only the outsole will be left at the bottom of theforepart of the shoe. The portions of the cords or ribs l2 which arestill stuck to the bottom of the bare last can then be scraped off andnew ribs cemented on prior to using the last for the construction ofanother shoe.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists inproviding ribs on the bottom surface of a bare last, mounting a shoeupper on the last, applying cement to the marginal portions of theupper, securing said marginal portions to said ribs to hold the upper inlasted position on the last while the cement in setting, separating theexcess portions of said margins from the overlasted portions thereof,and removing said excess portions from the last bottom together with theribs.

2. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists inproviding ribs on the bare surface of a last bottom, assembling a shoeupper on the last, applying cement to the marginal portions of saidupper, temporarily securing the margins of the upper in lasted. positionagainst said ribs to permit the cement to set, and after the cement hasset trimming said margins and ribs substantially flush with, thatsurface of the upper which overlies the bottom surface of the last.

3. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists insecuring strips directly to the bottom surface of a bare last, mounting.a shoe upper on the last, applying cement for securing the upper inlasted position on the last, working the upper .over the last with itsmarginal portion in contact with the last bottom, and. temporarilysecuring said marginal portion to said strips to hold the upper inlasted position while the cement for securing itpermanently in suchposition sets.

4. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists inattaching ribs to the bare surface of a last bottom, mounting a shoeupper on the last, applying cement to the margins of said u per, workingthe upper over the margins of the bare last bottom into lasted positionagainst said ribs, and inserting staples through the upper and ribs tohold the upper in lasted position until the cement has'setp 5. Thatimprovement in methods of makingv shoes which consists in securing ribsdirectly to the bottom surface of a bare last, assembling a shoe upperon the last, applying cement to the margins of the upper, attaching saidmargins to the ribs on the last bottom to hold said upper in lastedposition on the last, and, after the cement on the margins of the upperhas set, trimming said margins adjacent to the ribs to permit removal ofthe ribs from the last bottom prior to the attachment of an outso'le. 1

6. That improvement in methods of making. shoes which consists inattaching ribs directly to a bare last bottom, assembling a shoe upperon the last, applying cement to the margins of the upper, securing saidmargins to the ribs with staples to hold the upper in lasted position onthe last while the cement on the margins is setting, and, after thecement has set, removing -,the ribs from the bottom of the last '7. Thatimprovement in methods of making shoes which consists in cementing ribsdirectly to the bare surface of a last bottom, assembling a shoe upperon the last, applying cement 'to the margins of the upper, working saidmargins over the edges of the bare last bottom and securing them withstaples to the ribs to hold the upper in lasted position While thecement at its margins is setting, severing said margins from the mainportion of the upper along the bases of the ribs,

temporarily securing the margins of the .upper' to said ribs withstaples to allow the stiifening substance to harden and thereby hold theupperi permanently in lasted position on' the last,.,and,

after said substance has hardened, trimming off said margins and ribssubstantially flush with the overlasted portions of the upper therebyremoving the staples.-

9. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists incementing ribs to the opposite sides of a bare last bottom adjacent toits marginal portions, assembling a multi-ply upper on the last,applying cement between the plies of the upper at its marginal portionsonly, working said marginal portions over the edges of the bare lastinto lasted position against said ribs, inserting staples through theupper and the ribs to insure that the upper will remain in lastedposition while the cement is setting, and, after the cement has set,cutting through the upper along the bases of the ribs and peeling offthe ribs and portions of the upper secured thereto thereby removing thestaples from the bottom of the shoe.

10. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists inproviding ribs on the torepart of a bare last bottom, assembling a shoeupper and a shank and heel piece on the last, securing the shank portionof the upper in overlasted relation to the shank and heel piece, andsecuring the forepart of the upper in lasted position onthe last byattaching it to the ribs on the forepart of the bare last bottom.

11. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists insecuring ribs to the forepart of a bare last bottom adjacent to itsopposite lateral margins, assembling a shoe upper on the last with ashank and heel piece, applying cement for securing the margins of theupper in lasted position on the last, temporarily securing the shankportion of the upper in lasted relation to said shank and heel piecewhile the cement at said portion is setting to hold it permanently insuch position, working the forepart.

of the upper over the edges of the bare last bottom and into lastedposition against the ribs on said last bottom, and securing the upper tosaid ribs to maintain the forepart of the upper in lasted position whilethe cement on said forepart is setting.

12. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists incementing ribs to the fore'part of the bottom surface, of a bare last,assembling a shoe upper and a shank and heel piece on the last, applyingcement to the margins of the upper, securing said margins to the shankand heel piece and to the ribs on the last bottom to hold the upper inlasted position while the cement on its margins is setting, and, afterthe cement has set, trimming said ribs and the portions of the uppersecured thereto substantially flush with the overlasted margins of theupper.

13. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists insecuring ribs to the forepart of a bare last bottom adjacent to itsmarginal portions, providing a single rib on the central portion of ashank and heel piece, assembling the shank and heel piece on the lastwith a shoe upper, applying cement to the marginal portions of theupper, securing the shank portion of the upper to the rib on the shankand heel piece to hold said portion in lasted position While the cementis setting, and securing the forepart of the upper in lasted positionuntil the cement has set by stapling its margins to the ribs on thetorepart of the bare last bottom.

14. That improvement in methods 01 making shoes which consists incementing ribs to the forepart of a bare last bottom adjacent to itsopposite lateral margins, cementing a single rib along the longitudinalmedian line of an insole securing said margins in lasted positionagainst the single rib with staples until the cement has set to holdthem permanently in such position,

working the opposite margins of the forepart of the upper over the edgesof the bare last bottom and securing them in lasted position against theribs with staples until the cement on said margins has set, cutting theupper along the bases of the ribs to separate the excess marginalmaterial of the upper from the overlasted portion thereof, and removingthe ribs from the last bottom and the insole member With the excessmaterial secured thereto, thereby removing the staples from the bottomof the shoe.

15. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists incementing strips to the forepart of a bare last bottom to provide ribsto which a shoe upper may be secured, cementing a single strip to aninsole member comprising a shank and heel piece, said strip beinglocated on the longitudinal median line of said member, assembling theinsole member with a shoe upper on the last, applying cement to theupper for holding it in lasted position on the last, working theopposite margins at the shank portion of the upper over the featherportions of the insole member and securing said margins with staples tothe single strip to hold them in lasted position while the cement onsaid margins is setting, working the opposite margins of the fore-partof the upper over the bare last bottom and securing them with staples tothe strips on the last bottom to permit the cement to set, andthereafter trimming off the ribs and excess portions of the marginalmaterial substantially flush with that surface of the upper whichoverlies the last bottom and feather portions of the insole member,thereby providing a relatively even surface on the shoe bottom for theattachment of an outsole.

16. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists incementing ribs adjacent to the margins of a last bottom at the forepartonly, cementing a single rib to an insole member comprising a shank andheel piece, assembling said member with a multi-ply shoe upper on thelast, introducing a stiffening material between the plies of the upperat the margins of its forepart, applying cement to the feather portionsof the insole member and to the margins of the upper at its shankportion, securing said margins to the rib on the insole member withstaples, securing the margins at the forepart of the upper to the ribson the last bottom with staples to permit the stiffening material toset, cutting the upper along the bases of the ribs on the last and onthe insole member, peeling off the ribs and the portions of the uppersecured thereto thereby removing the excess upper material, staples, andthe ribs from the bottom surface of the shoe, and attaching an outsoleto the shoe bottom without delasting the shoe.

17. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists incementing ribs to the forepart of a bare last bottom adjacent to itsmarginal portions, assembling on the last a shoe upper and a shank andheel member having a single longitudinal rib cemented thereto, applyingcement for securing the shank portion of the upper in lasted relation tothe shank and heel member and for stiffening the margins of the forepartof the upper, working the margins of the shank portion of the upper overthe feather portions of said shank and heel member and securing saidmargins in lasted relation to the single rib with staples, working themargins of the forepart of the upper over the edge of the last bottomand securing them in lasted position against the ribs with staples,trimming the excess upper material and the ribs at the forepart andshank portions of the last substantially flush with the exposed surfaceof the overlasted portions of the upper, thereby removing the staples,excess upper material, and substantial portions of the ribs from thebottom surface of the shoe, and attaching an outsole to the relativelysmooth surface provided by the trimming operation.

18. The improvement in the process of making shoes without an insole inthe forepart thereof which consists in removably securing a strip ofmaterial to the bottom of a bare last around the margin of the forepartthereof, securing the lasting allowance of a shoe upper to said strip,triming off the surplus lasting allowance and the portion of the lastingstrip cooperating .therewith and securing an outsole to said upper.

19. That improvement in 'methods of making shoes which consists inapplying a temporary 'member to the forepart of a bare last bottominwardly of its margin, introducing cement between the plies of a shoeupper at its forepart, working the upper over the edge and in contactwith the bare margin of the last bottom, and securing'the upper to thetemporary member to hold it in lasted position while the cement betweenthe plies in setting.

20. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists inremovably securing a temporary member along the inner edge of the marginof a bare last bottom, introducing a stiffening substance between theplies of the marginal portion of a multi-ply shoe upper, working theupper over and in contact with the bare margin of the last bottom andsecuring it in lasted position to said temporary member, and, after thestiffening substance has hardened to hold the upper permanently inlasted position, removing the temporary member from the last bottomtogether with the portions of the upper which are secured thereto.

FRED MACBURNIE.

